Kenya will compensate almost 2,000 people who suffered human rights abuses during protests, President William Ruto announced, setting aside Sh2 billion (about $15 million) for a rare national reparations programme that operates outside the country's courts.
Ruto unveiled the framework on Monday, describing it as a step toward acknowledgement and healing rather than a settling of scores. "Compensation is not a reward for violence but recognition that victims matter," he said, adding that the fund marked "the beginning of the journey and not the end."
Under the plan, victims of fatal police shootings, deaths in custody and deaths during demonstrations would be entitled to a minimum of Sh2.5 million each, in addition to medical expenses incurred before death. Payments are due to begin next week after vetting by the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.
Only victims of gross violations linked to state action will qualify, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, serious injuries caused by excessive force, and sexual violence committed during protests. The commission has been tasked with reviewing claims and confirming eligibility.
The abuses span nearly a decade of unrest. They include violence around the disputed general elections of 2017 and 2022, the 2023 and 2024 demonstrations against the government's Finance Bill — the so-called "Gen Z protests" that drew large youth crowds — and the 2025 Saba Saba commemorations, several of which ended in deadly confrontations with security forces.
Those protests have been among the most serious challenges of Ruto's presidency, with rights groups accusing police of using lethal force against largely peaceful crowds. The reparations announcement is an implicit acknowledgement of state responsibility, even as it stops short of the criminal accountability some victims' families have demanded.
Activists welcomed the funds as a measure of recognition while cautioning that money alone would not address impunity. The government has said the programme is the start of a broader effort to document abuses and reconcile a public still scarred by repeated cycles of protest and crackdown.